156 VESPERTILION ID^— MYOTIS 



Borrer, Mr William Evans, and Mr Grieve refer to recently 

 born young which they encountered in July, in the last- 

 named instance on the 4th. That mentioned by Borrer was 

 clinging to the nipple of its mother, while Mr Grieve's 

 description of a young one at first hanging on to its mother's 

 back, but afterwards lying rolled up in her left wing, recalls 

 the known habits of the young of other bats. 



Although gentle, fearless, and readily taking food, this 

 species is delicate, and seldom lives for long in captivity. A 

 good flight round the room in the evening is, according to 

 Tomes, necessary for its health, whereas the Pipistrelle and 

 the Noctule will live in a box without exercise for a long time, 

 if well supplied with food. 



Mr Oldham has remarked that its flight in a room is 

 wavering, uncertain, and much slower than that of the 

 Pipistrelle, the tail is but slightly decurved, and the bat alights 

 frequently on the furniture or pictures. Sooner or later 

 it settles down to the peculiar motions which are so 

 characteristic in a state of nature, skimming the surface of 

 the floor, with typical shuddering or vibratory action, and 

 threading its way amongst the legs of chairs and tables with 

 unerring certainty. Mr Oldham liberated some in a bath- 

 room in the expectation that they would skim over the water 

 in the bath, but they did not do so. One fell into the water, 

 but seemed to be none the worse for the accident, since it 

 paddled along the whole length of the bath, constantly striking 

 the water with its wings on its way. 



Captive bats of this species readily drink milk or water, and 

 accept flies, mealworms, and moths, of which Mr Oldham men- 

 tions several.^ Like other bats, they must be taught to eat 

 in their novel surroundings, and a fluttering moth appears to 

 have no meaning for them until it passes close before the face. 



As stated above, Mr Oldham finds that the larger moths 

 are pouched in the orthodox manner, the struggle even 

 causing the bat to fall right over on its back. Contrary to 

 Tomes' statement in Bell, not the slightest use was made of 



^ Xylophasia polyodon, Urapteryx sambucaia, Triphcena pronuba, Mamestra 

 brasskte, Cidaria populata, and Porthesia auriflua, the latter accepted with reluctance : 

 Zoologist, 1899, 472-473- 



